Golf swing assistance apparatus

ABSTRACT

A golf swing assistance apparatus generates an electronic alarm sound at the top of a back swing and at a finish, during a golf swing, so that the golfer can be informed of a period of time during which the swing is temporarily stopped at the top of the back swing to maintain the feeling for swing rhythm and prevent a head-up during a down swing, to the finish and perform a golf swing with a good posture.

This application claims priority from pending Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 2004-72615 filed on Sep. 10, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a golf swing assistance apparatus, andmore particularly to a golf swing assistance apparatus adapted togenerate an electronic alarm sound at the top of a back swing and at afinish, during a golf swing, so that the golfer can be informed of aperiod of time during which the swing is temporarily stopped at the topof the back swing to maintain the feeling for swing rhythm and prevent ahead-up during a down swing, to the finish.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A golf swing can be divided into three periods of rhythm: ‘one’, a backswing action from an address posture; ‘two’, at the top of the backswing, at which the swing is temporarily stopped; and ‘three’, a downswing to a finish, at which the swing is instantly performed. Such arhythm is indispensable for a good swing.

In particular: performing the back swing lightly, slowly, and withconstant speed; temporarily stopping at the top of the back swing; andfixing the golfer's head during the down swing, to the finish, to avoida head-up (raising the head hastily to see the flying ball) areimportant factors which determine whether the shot is good or not.However, a good swing is performed using much sense and is difficult tomaster even with much drilling and repeated exercise. It is even moredifficult to constantly command a good swing in the field.

If a golfer can sense and be aware of the procedure from the top of theback swing, at which the swing is temporarily stopped, to the finish,he/she would be able to easily maintain a constant swing posture andperform a good shot.

The present applicant has proposed a golf swing assistance apparatusadapted to provide the golfer with a sound and a vibration, which ametal ball and an impact plate generate at the top of a back swing andat a finish, so that the golfer can be informed of the period of timeduring which the swing is temporarily stopped at the top of the backswing to maintain the feeling for swing rhythm and prevent a head-upduring a down swing, to the finish, as disclosed in Korean PatentApplication No. 2004-13875 (corresponding to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10-858425).

However, the golf swing assistance apparatus disclosed in the abovepatent application has a problem in that, since the apparatus simplyuses a sound and a vibration which the metal ball and the impact plategenerate when colliding with each other and informs the golfer of theperiod of time during which the swing is temporarily stopped at the topof the back swing, the collision sound generated by the metal ball andthe impact plate may not be uniformly transmitted to the golferdepending on surroundings or service condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object ofthe present invention is to provide a golf swing assistance apparatusadapted to generate a uniform electronic alarm sound regardless ofsurroundings or service condition at the top of a back swing and at afinish, during a golf swing, so that the golfer can be informed of aperiod of time during which the swing is temporarily stopped at the topof the back swing to maintain the feeling for swing rhythm and prevent ahead-up during a down swing, to the finish.

In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a golf swingassistance apparatus comprising a cylindrical body made of conductivematerial; a metal ball contained in a hole of the cylindrical body andadapted to move in the gravitational direction according to the slope ofthe cylindrical body; a contact portion positioned on an end of thecylindrical body to form an electrically connected circuit with thecylindrical body and the metal ball upon contacting the metal ball; analarm device connected to the closed circuit in series to generate analarm sound when the cylindrical body, the metal ball, and the contactportion establish a connected circuit; and a power supply for applyingelectric power to the closed circuit.

Preferably, the golf swing assistance apparatus further comprises anumber of small metal balls between the metal ball and the contactportion for increased contact points.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda golf swing assistance apparatus comprising a cylindrical body made ofconductive material; a metal ball contained in a hole of the cylindricalbody and adapted to move in the gravitational direction according to theslope of the cylindrical body; first and second contact portionspositioned on both ends of the cylindrical body, respectively, andadapted to contact the metal ball; a delay circuit connected to thesecond contact portion; an input gate connected to the first contactportion and the delay circuit and adapted to generate an actuationsignal in response to a detection signal from the first contact portionafter the delay circuit is turned on in response to a detection signalfrom the second contact portion and an alarm device adapted to generatean alarm sound in response to the actuation signal from the input gate.

Preferably, the golf swing assistance apparatus further comprising anumber of small metal balls between the metal ball and the first contactportion for increased contact points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows in brief the construction view of a golf swing assistanceapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a cylindrical body according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows the operation of a golf swing assistance apparatus, duringa back swing, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows the operation of a golf swing assistance apparatus, duringa down swing, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an alternative cylindrical bodyaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a cylindrical body according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows the construction of a golf swing assistance apparatusaccording to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing an alternative cylindrical bodyaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription and drawings, the same reference numerals are used todesignate the same or similar components, and so repetition of thedescription on the same or similar components will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows in brief the construction of a golf swing assistanceapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2is a sectional view thereof.

As shown in the drawings, a golf swing assistance apparatus according toan embodiment of the present invention comprises a cylindrical body 12made of conductive material and a metal ball 16 inserted into a hole 14of the body 12 and having a size suitable for movement therein. One endof the body 12 is open but the other end thereof is blocked lest themetal ball 16 should escape from the body 12 when it is moved betweenboth ends thereof due to its own weight, as the slope of the cylindricalbody 12 changes. The blocked end of the body 12 may be fabricatedtogether with the body 12 during molding or may be blocked using aseparate cap.

The open end of the body 12 is sealed by a cap 18 of nonconductivematerial. The cap 18 has a contact portion 20 extending through thecenter thereof, which electrically connects the cap 18 with the body 12upon contacting the metal ball 16. As such, the body 12 and the contactportion 20 establish an electrically closed circuit. A power supply 22and an alarm device 24 for generating an electronic alarm sound areconnected to the circuit in series.

The operation of a golf swing assistance apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention, configured as above, will now bedescribed.

FIG. 3 shows the operation of the golf swing assistance apparatus,during a back swing, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. In the drawing, (a) corresponds to a perspective view of theapparatus at a back swing and (b) corresponds to a perspective view atthe top of the back swing.

When the apparatus is turned on and the golfer takes an initial addressposture, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal ball 16 is spaced from thecontact portion 20. He then performs a back swing (a) from the addressposture lightly, slowly, and with constant speed and posture change.Therefore, even when the metal ball 16 is moved and positioned on areverse slope surface, it maintains its initial position due to thecentrifugal force. At the top of the back swing, at which the swing isstopped for a very short period of time, the metal ball 16 drops due toits own weight and gravity and contacts the contact portion 20.

The metal ball 16 then electrically connects the cylindrical body 12 tothe contact portion 20. This establishes a connection circuit and causesthe alarm device 24 to generate an electronic alarm sound. After sensingthe alarm sound, the golfer can proceed to the down swing.

As such, the golf swing assistance apparatus according to the presentinvention enables a golfer to perform a back swing (a) light, slowly,and with a constant speed; to be informed of a period of time duringwhich the swing is temporarily stopped at the top of the back swing (b)by means of an alarm sound; and to proceed to the down swing. In thisway, he can maintain the swing speed and the feeling of swing rhythm inthe course of address, back swing (a), top of the back swing (b), anddown swing.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of the golf swing assistance apparatus,during a down swing, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. In the drawing, (c) corresponds to a perspective view of theapparatus right after a down swing is performed and (d) corresponds to aperspective view at a finish posture.

As shown in FIG. 4, the metal ball 16 is moved to the opposite side ofthe contact portion 20 in the hole 14 of the cylindrical body 12 rightafter a down swing is performed (c). Even when the metal ball 16 ispositioned on a reverse slope surface, it maintains its position untilthe finish, at which the swing is ended, due to the centrifugal force.At the finish (d), when the swing is stopped, the metal ball 16 dropsdue to gravity and contacts the contact portion 20 again. The metal ball16 then electrically connects the cylindrical body 12 with the contactportion 20 and an electronic alarm sound is generated. After sensing thealarm sound, the golfer can turn his head to see the flying ball. Thisprevents a head-up.

An alternative golf swing assistance apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, comprises acylindrical body 12, a metal ball 16, a contact portion 20 positioned onand end of a hole 14 of the body 12, and a number of small metal balls26 positioned between the metal ball 16 and the contact portion 20. Thesmall metal balls 26 are electrical connection members and increase thecontact points among the body 12, the metal ball 16, and the contactportion 20 for better connection. When the metal ball 16 is moved to thecontact portion 20 due to gravity, the small metal balls 26 maintaingood electrical connection.

In order to maintain good contact between the metal ball 16 and thecontact portion 20 or between the metal ball 16 and the small metalballs 26, contact activation agent is preferably applied to the interiorof the cylindrical body 12 which is hermetically sealed in order toavoid leakage.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a golf swing assistance apparatus 30 according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

The golf swing assistance apparatus 30 comprises a cylindrical body 32made of conductive material; a metal ball 36 inserted into a hole 34 ofthe body 32 and having a size suitable for movement in the hole 34;nonconductive caps 38 and 38′ sealing both ends of the body 32,respectively; and first and second contact portions 40 and 40′ extendingthrough the center of the caps 38 and 38′, respectively.

The first and second contact portions 40 and 40′ are connected to thefirst and second A/D converters 42 and 42′, respectively. The second A/Dconverter 42′ is connected to a delay circuit 44, which is connected toan input gate 46 composed of an AND circuit. The input gate 46 isconnected to an alarm device 50 via a control unit or an alarm devicedriving means 48, such as an alarm device driver.

When the golfer takes an address posture, the metal ball 36 contacts thesecond contact portion 40′. The body 32, the metal ball 36, and thesecond contact portion 40′ are then connected to one another andgenerate a signal. The signal is subject to data transformation by thesecond A/D converter 42′ and is transmitted to the delay circuit 44.Suppose that the golfer makes a back swing action while the delaycircuit 44 is turned on and thereby the metal ball 36 is moved in thebody 32 by gravity and contacts the first contact portion 40.Alternatively, suppose that the delay circuit 44 is turned on again asthe metal ball 36 contacts the second contact portion 40′ during a downswing and the metal ball 36 is moved in the body 32 by gravity andcontacts the first contact portion 40 during a finish action. Then, thebody 32, the metal ball 36, and the first contact portion 40 areconnected to one another and generate a signal, which is transformed bythe first A/D converter 42 and is transmitted to the input gate 46. Theinput gate 46 then generates an actuation signal and causes the alarmdevice driving means 48 to generate an alarm sound via the alarm device50.

Accordingly, even when the metal ball 36 contacts the first contactportion 40 again while the body 32, the first contact portion 40, andthe metal ball 36 are connected to one another in an unstable manner dueto an impact during a swing, the alarm device 50 generates only a singlealarm sound and avoids unnecessarily generating any additional alarmsound, as long as the metal ball 36 has not contacted the second contactportion 40′ beforehand.

An alternative golf swing assistance apparatus according to anotherembodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, comprises acylindrical body 32; a metal ball 36; first and second contact portions40 and 40′ positioned on both ends of a hole 34 of the body 32,respectively; and a number of small metal balls 52 positioned betweenthe metal ball 36 and the first contact portion 40 to act as electricalconnection members for better connection.

In order to maintain good contact between the metal ball 36 and thefirst and second contact portions 40 and 40′ or between the metal ball36 and the small metal balls 52, contact activation agent is preferablyapplied to the interior of the cylindrical body 32 and hermetic seal ispreferably maintained to avoid leakage.

The golf swing assistance apparatus according to the present inventionmay be fabricated as a wrist watch, a wrist protector, or a wristlet sothat it can be worn on a wrist of the golfer, fastened on a golf gloveor on the sleeve portion of upper wear, or positioned in an internalspace of the grip portion of a golf shaft.

As mentioned above, the golf swing assistance apparatus according to thepresent invention provides a golfer with an electronic alarm sound in auniform manner regardless of surroundings or service condition andinforms him of the movement of a metal ball due to gravity at the top ofa back swing (b), during a golf swing, so that he can be informed of aperiod of time during which the swing is temporarily stopped at the topof the back swing (b) to maintain his feeling for swing rhythm. He canalso prevent a head-up by fixing his head until an electronic alarmsound is generated at a finish, when the swing is stopped (d).

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A golf swing assistance apparatus comprising: a cylindrical body madeof conductive material; a metal ball contained in a hole of thecylindrical body and adapted to move in the gravitational directionaccording to the slope of the cylindrical body; a contact portionpositioned on an end of the cylindrical body to form an electricallyconnected circuit with the cylindrical body and the metal ball uponcontacting the metal ball; an alarm device connected to the closedcircuit in series to generate an alarm sound when the cylindrical body,the metal ball, and the contact portion establish a connected circuit;and a power supply for applying electric power to the closed circuit. 2.A golf swing assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising a number of small metal balls between the metal ball and thecontact portion.
 3. A golf swing assistance apparatus comprising: acylindrical body made of conductive material; a metal ball contained ina hole of the cylindrical body and adapted to move in the gravitationaldirection according to the slope of the cylindrical body; first andsecond contact portions positioned on both ends of the cylindrical body,respectively, and adapted to contact the metal ball; a delay circuitconnected to the second contact portion; an input gate connected to thefirst contact portion and the delay circuit and adapted to generate anactuation signal in response to a detection signal from the firstcontact portion after the delay circuit is turned on in response to adetection signal from the second contact portion; and an alarm deviceadapted to generate an alarm sound in response to the actuation signalfrom the input gate.
 4. A golf swing assistance apparatus as claimed inclaim 3, further comprising a number of small metal balls between themetal ball and the first contact portion.